If you only see one frame - click
here for the full frames
version of the A to Z

the
Unusual ...(funny or
strange hockey anecdotes - hopefully true!)

from an idea by Terry McDevitt

...
BeckhamIt seems that David Beckham's fame has reached the
ears of ice hockey commentators.

During the first Western Conference final game of the 2003 Stanley Cup Play-Offs between Anaheim Mighty Ducks and Minnesota Wild, the CBC commentator said after four periods of a 0-0 game - "perhaps we need David Beckham to break this tie".

It wasn't Beckham, it was Sykora who won it for the Ducks in the 89th minute of the game -
so perhaps there is a Manchester United connection after all!

...
BenchwarmerOn the afternoon of Sunday,
18th March 1979, the Quebec Nordiques were scheduled to play a league game in Edmonton
Oilers when coach Jacques Demers realized what a problem he would have dressing the minimum number of players - 15.

Six Nordiques couldn't play. Knee injuries had claimed JC Tremblay, Richard Brodeur and Serge Bernier. Pierre Lagace and Marc Tardif couldn't play because of ailing shoulders. Dale Hoganson had a broken nose and couldn't see because his eyes were closed.

But when the game began there were 15 bodies there, though one looked a little plump. Coach Jacques Demers had dressed himself, but, to do so, he had to sign a five-game tryout. Demers never played but the Nordiques surely did. Led by Buddy Cloutier's three goals and two assists, the Nordiques clobbered Edmonton 7-2.

...
CelebrationAfter the Bruins captured the Stanley Cup in 1970, for the first time in 29 years, there was a long, loud celebration in and around Beantown which left-winger
Wayne Cashman embraced with great enthusiasm. At one point in the long spree of merrymaking, Cashman decided that his services were needed to improve the flow of traffic at a busy intersection. His work at the corner was not up to the standards of his work in the corners of a hockey rink, however, and a large traffic snarl resulted.

When the state police arrived to provide assistance, Cashman felt unappreciated and refused to relinquish his post. As a result, he was arrested - not without some difficulty - and taken to the Lynnfield (Massachusetts) State Police Barracks where he was informed of his right to make one phone call.

The police were somewhat embarrassed to have a local hero in their jail and waited impatiently for a lawyer or a bail bondsman to arrive and extricate Cashman. Finally, there was a knock at the door of the barracks. An Oriental gentleman responding to Cashman's one phone call, announced:
"Have order of sweet and sour pork, won ton soup and egg rolls for a Mr Wayne
Cash-a-man."

...
ChairsFort Wayne Komets
and Toledo Mercurys Goaldiggers were big rivals. Things sometimes
got out of hand and former Komet Doug Rigler said "The one thing you always heard was that fans from Fort Wayne wouldn't go to Toledo, because they would try damaging cars or pushing our bus in the river. The fans there were everything they said they were."

The rivalry during the regular season and playoffs was bitter - most games totaling more than 150 minutes in
penalties. "It was like going to war," former Komet George Kotsopoulos said. "They had a
lot of goon squads."

In 1984, the rivals played in a thick Toledo Sports Arena fog. With the Komets hitting the post eight times, the Goaldiggers scored the only goal late in the game - at least the red light went on. Komets goaltender Darren Jensen complained he couldn't see three feet in front of him, and the shot came from 10 feet away.

One night Komets Coach Ken Ullyot got into the act as he protested a call by tossing a chair on the ice.

Not to be out done, Toledo Coach Ted Garvin once protested a disallowed goal by covering the ice with folding chairs and
debris.

...
Fast FoodRobert Picard was a first round draft choice of the Washington Capitals in 1977 and signed a letter of intent with the NHL club the day of the draft. The talented defenceman also took some of his bonus money and
immediately purchased a new car, the way many young hockey players did.

Then along came another agent who convinced Picard that his original agent had sold his talents too cheaply. The 20-year old athlete then signed another contract, this time with the Quebec Nordiques of the WHA.

When the Capitals protested, Picard responded, somewhat undiplomatically, "I would rather sell pizzas in Quebec than play hockey in Washington." The Capitals chose to overlook the Montreal native's insult but did threaten to go to court and the WHA relinquished its claim.

Picard went back to Washington, reluctantly, in time for the exhibition season. One of his first games was against the Nordiques, in Quebec City, and how did the local hockey fans greet the local hero? They threw pizzas at him when he came on the ice.

...
FightMany coaches and general managers have exhorted their players to "fight team, fight."
Many have also taken themselves seriously. Few, however, have taken themselves literally.

Emile Francis did. He was the GM when the New York Rangers were leading the Detroit Red Wings, 2-1, at Madison Square Garden on 21st November 1965, and Norm Ullman scored a goal that tied the game midway in the third period. At least, goal judge Arthur Reichert thought it did.

Francis didn't. He charged Reichert while the game was in progress. Reichert argued back. A fan sitting next to Reichert told Francis to "get lost," in words that suggested a destination.
Francis, who always said his teams needed some punch, then swung at the fan. The fan swung back. The Rangers rushed to help Francis, some of them even scaling the eight-foot high glass boards, which was no easy task.

Neither was calming Francis. The free-for-all lasted 20 minutes. Francis emerged bloodied and rumpled, his tie wrapped around his face and anger covering it. The Rangers threatened to ban Reichert from the Garden, but he went on to be a goal judge for almost another 20 years. The game ended in a 3-3 tie. Fight team, fight.

...
Fire & HireOn Saturday night, 3rd March 1979, the Toronto Maple Leafs lined up before their home game against Philadelphia without a coach behind their bench. Roger Neilson had been fired in a most
bizarre fashion following the Leafs' fifth straight loss, 2-1 at Montreal the previous Thursday.

Toronto's bombastic owner, Harold Ballard, who had announced that Neilson's job was in jeopardy the week before, told reporters, "Neilson is gone," after the loss to the Canadiens. The next day, Ballard ordered general manager Jim Gregory to ask for Neilson's resignation but the coach would not comply. Ballard publicly confirmed his decision to fire the coach and said he planned to offer Neilson another job in the organization.

Neilson, meanwhile, had his players fill out a questionnaire, indicating what mistakes they thought he had made to help him in future coaching work. The players met on Saturday, blamed themselves for the slump and asked Ballard to retain Neilson. The owner, who had been unable to find another coach in the meantime, decided to make a joke out of the incident and asked Neilson to appear behind the bench wearing a mask.

Neilson declined but finally agreed to make a late entrance. He appeared, to a standing ovation, just before the puck was dropped and guided his team to a 4-2 victory over the Flyers.

...
Friends ?Lou
Nanne, the North Stars' former general manager, was playing for Team USA in Prague during the 1976 World Championship Tournament and things weren't going well for the
overmatched Americans against a strong Soviet team.

When Nanne's work as a right-winger was criticized loudly by Team USA coach John Mariucci, the usually mild-mannered defensive specialist charged his coach and the two men were soon trading punches on the bench as the game continued.

Peace was restored by teammates but the incident was a shocker because both men were North Stars employees and longtime friends. Mariucci had been Nanne's hockey coach at the University of Minnesota and the two remained close when Nanne went on to play for the North Stars and Mariucci became one of the team's scouts.

How did the two old friends react after the game ? They had a rematch, again necessitating mass intervention by players and officials.

But the oddest moment was when Nanne was named GM in February 1978, who did he name as his assistant GM ? Mariucci, of course.

...
Goal JudgeOn 1st April 1979, the
Colorado Rockies set a club record for most goals, defeated the St Louis Blues 9-5 and in the process replaced goal judge Rod Lippman. It was the highest scoring game in which the Rockies had ever been involved and that was the problem. One shot went into the net. No goal light. Two other shots never reached the net. The light flashed. Finally, referee Greg Madill ordered Lippman out of the judge's cage and ordered a replacement into it. No one could remember that happening before.

...
Goalie GoalIn more than 50
years of NHL play, it had never happened. No goalie had ever been
credited with scoring a goal, and only one, Michel Plasse, had
scored in the minor leagues.

On Wednesday night, 28th December 1977, in Los Angeles, Rogatien
Vachon became the first - at least on paper.

When a New York Islander player hurried near Vachon's net to try
and beat him to a loose puck, a Los Angeles defenseman hooked him
and a delayed penalty was called. The Islanders replaced their
goalie in favour of a sixth attacker. Islander center Bryan
Trottier had the puck in the left corner of the Kings' zone and
sent a pass back to the left point, where defenseman Denis Potvin
had just moved toward the boards. The pass eluded Potvin, who fell
as he dove for the puck, and it slowly wobbled down the ice, 180
feet, and into the vacated Islander net.

Vachon was awarded the goal because the officials thought he
touched it last for the Kings, but a TV replay showed later that
Vic Venasky touched the puck last and the scoring was changed some
12 hours after the game was over.

...
Hair CutDave Hanson, one of the brawling Hanson brothers in the classic
'Slap Shot', was trying to make his mark for the Birmingham Bulls in the WHA when he battled Chicago great Bobby Hull in Winnipeg.

"In the middle of the melee we both stopped," Hanson said. "All the screaming stopped, and I look up, and Bobby doesn't look the same as when we started. I look at my hand, and I had just pulled off his toupee..."

"I was a bit shocked. I threw it on the ice."

Bobby Hull left the ice and later returned with a helmet on.

...
IgnitionOne of the most bizarre on-ice incidents ever, involved a player named
Abie Goldberry who played as a junior in Quebec back in 1930.
He was hit by a puck that ignited a box of matches in his pocket, setting his
uniform on fire. He was badly burned before his teammates managed to put the fire out.

...
InfractionOn 8th October 1995, Scott Mellanby killed a rat with his hockey stick inside the Miami Arena’s home locker room. That same night Scott went on to score two goals. The net minder, John Vanbiesbrouck, later said that Scott had scored a "Rat Trick." At this point in the season no Florida Panther had scored a hat trick so this was the next best thing. A few fans a couple of nights later started throwing toy rubber rats on the ice after Scott scored. From this point the rat concept steamrolled and progressed with the season. It really was wild and gave the fans a chance to show their support of the team in a new way.

Fed up with the plastic rats, freshly dead octopuses and other objects tossed on the ice of NHL arenas, the league soon instituted a rule designed to keep fans from littering the ice.
A 2-minute delay-of-game penalty can be assessed against the home team if a game is held up because of objects on the ice. However, it's still OK to throw hats when a player gets a hat trick, a long-standing NHL tradition.

...
Injuries
In a collision with an opposing player whose stick broke, Stan
Long's thigh was pierced through severing the femoral artery, Stan lost more than half his blood. Only the quick thinking of the team trainer and the presence of a doctor in the arena saved his life.
Roy Jennings, a former deputy sheriff in Nanaimo, British Columbia
, who was a stick boy with the Victoria Cougars when
Stan had the horrendous accident said it w as one of the most horrible things he had ever seen.
The doctors declared that Stan would never walk again, let alone play hockey, but
he played for another eight seasons.

Wayne Bianchin suffered a broken neck while surfing in Hawaii.
He had a neck fusion operation and returned to the NHL.

Gene Carr once missed part of a season with a head injury received
in a taxi accident.

Clint Malarchuk got his jugular vein cut when his throat was
caught by Steve Tuttle's skate.

Pat Price sprained his ankle while doing tricks in his platform shoes
(1974) while he was the captain for the Western Canada Junior All-Stars
that played against the WHA All-Stars.

Joe Kocur suffered an infected hand when one of his punches connected with Larry Playfair's teeth. The wound got infected and he eventually was
only hours away from an amputation. Luckily for him the antibiotics
finally
worked.

Paul Cavallini lost the tip of his left finger after a Doug Wilson
slap-shot.

John Vanbiesbrouck severely cut his wrist when he broke his coffee table at home. It required micro surgery.

Andy Moog, while visiting a ward of sick children at a local hospital,
accidentally entered a quarantined area, caught a viral infection and lost six
pounds in weight.

Shawn Antoski suffered a depressed skull facture in a car accident.
He was ready to make a comeback. Then while messing around with one of his pet dogs,
its head came up and smashed into Antoski's head, re-injuring him and putting a stop to an eventual comeback.

Scott Young once took 22 stitches to close a facial cut when Garry Galley's
aluminum stick shattered and a sliver caught him just above the right eye.

Mark Howe received a five inch puncture wound to his upper thigh when he landed on a sharp metal goal post support.

Jack O'Callahan once took a 18-stitch cut while washing dishes at home.

Pat Verbeek severed his left thumb between the knuckles in a corn planting machine on his farm.
Doctors eventually reconnected the thumb.

Alexei Kasatonov missed three games due to hemorrhoids when he played for New Jersey.

Terry Sawchuk died after complications suffered from a fight with teammate Ron Stewart.
Sawchuk fell over a barbecue grill during the fight and that's how he got his injuries.

Everett Sanipass broke his ankle in eight places when playing softball.

Larry Robinson once broke his leg in a polo accident.

Börje Salming received 250 facial stitches when he was cut by a Gerard Gallant skate.
Ironically enough Salming cut Scott Stevens face with his skate a few years later
during the 1989 World Championships in Stockholm (Stevens got 88
stitches).

...
InterloperThe scene was almost unbelievable. The fog was beginning to form on the ice at the Buffalo Auditorium for the second straight game as the Sabres and Philadelphia Flyers met in the fourth game of the final round of the 1975 Stanley Cup playoffs.

The players were lining up for a face-off in the Philadelphia zone to the left of Flyer goalie Bernie Parent when a black object, a bat, floated down from the rafters and hovered over the circle.

The only thing that was missing from the picture was Bela Lugosi refereeing in a striped cape. While others backed off from the eerie spectacle, Buffalo center
Jimmy Lorentz casually slapped the bat out of the air with his hockey stick at shoulder height.

There was a slight pause as Flyer center Rick MacLeish declined to pick up the battered bat but Lorentz wasn't fazed. He picked it up, skated over to the timer's bench, dumped his quarry and returned to finish a 4-2 Sabre victory that tied the series at 2-2.

From that day on, Lorentz was, not too surprisingly, known as "Batman".

...
IronyIn the late 1980's Ed Kastelic was suspended for 20 games by the AHL for
biting a linesman. Less than three months later Kevin Kerr got a 9 game
suspension for biting the hand of ... you guessed it, Ed Kastelic !
What goes around comes around, eh ?

...
LessonThis story isn't odd or unusual, but a good ol' hockey story...

Chicago great Stan Mikita told an awesome story about his first encounter with
Gordie Howe. It was in his first or second year, he's not sure which.
He hit Howe and while Gordie was falling to the ice Mikita gave him a shot on the
way down with his stick cutting him.

Howe had to leave the game for stitches. Lindsay was with Chicago at the
time. Between periods he told Mikita that on occasion Howe could be a
little vindictive. So, Mikita, says, "Nah, he's an old man, he's not gonna worry
about a snot nosed punk like me." They go back out and Mikita keeps his
head up because Lindsay has him thinking now. Nothing happens. He tells
Lindsay after the game, "See, told ya, the old man doesn't care." Lindsay
still tells him to watch out.

The next game Mikita is very aware every time Howe is out there, same with
the next game and the next game and the next game. Still nothing. Then he
relaxed. To this day he does not remember when or how he got hit. Denis
Dejordy was in the building on emergency recall from the Buffalo Bisons and
not playing but told Mikita he saw the whole thing.

Mikita was offside on a delayed call and was looping back out of the
zone after the puck had been shot out from Detroit's end. He was watching
the puck as he was circling. When he woke up he was flat out on the ice and
he crawled to the bench. Dejordy says that Howe circled the other way and
as they approached each other Howe slipped one glove off and popped Mikita
right on the button, right on the chin. Howe put the glove back on and kept
skating and no official saw it. Nobody knew what happened. Dejordy it
appears was one of the only guys who saw it.

Mikita missed the rest of the period. When he went back out for his
first face-off, Howe was on the ice. Mikita skated over and said,
"Well, I guess we're even." Howe smiled and said,
"Don't know Stanley, I'm not sure yet." Mikita said he died a thousand deaths and skated on egg shells
for the next three of four games against Detroit until finally Howe skated
over before one of the following games and said, "Okay, we're even. Now,
if you have a chance to hit me by all means do so. But if you ever cheap
shot me again like you did I'll end your career." Mikita says he believed
him and he said they had many battles for the puck over their careers after
that but he never gave Howe a cheap shot again.

...
Old Pals ActEddie Convey was a forward born in Toronto who played three years for the New York
Americans (36 games) between 1930-33. He used to be a property of Toronto, and when he was to play in a game
against his old pals in Toronto the word was that Convey needed a big game to stay in the NHL and not getting demoted.

King Clancy was so concerned about it that he was prompted to conspire
with goalie Lorne Chabot and Charlie Conacher.

Clancy told the guys that if Toronto would be up by a couple of goals then they would take it easy on Convey and help him score a couple. The Leafs jumped ahead 4-0 or something in the 1st period, the lead was so good that they decided that it was enough to let Convey shine for a while.

In the 2nd period Convey skated in against Conacher on the forward line, Clancy on D and Chabot in goal. Clancy shouted at Conacher "Now !" and Conacher obliged by falling down to let Convey through, Convey hit the Toronto
blue line, where Clancy conveniently neglected to check him, then Convey walked in on Chabot who didn't move. Convey had a clear shot at the vacant side of the net - and drove the puck wide.

"One more chance!" Clancy yelled, and once more Convey came down the wing. Conacher faked a
body check and missed. Clancy stumbled and fell down. Convey swept in on a stationary Chabot, who left one side of the net invitingly open. Convey laid all the wood behind the shot that sailed into the end blue seats.

"One more time!" Clancy told his conspirators and Convey got it the next time he appeared on the ice. "Let him through!" Clancy shouted at Conacher, who let Convey skate past him, he then escaped Clancy's bogus check, and flew by Clancy and went cruising in on Chabot, who was ready to step aside and give him the whole goal to shoot at.

Chabot stepped aside and "THUMP! " Convey hit him right in the Adam's apple with the puck. Down Chabot went, choking and gagging! Conacher then skated back to help Clancy assist the distressed Chabot. "Any more of this" Chabot grumbled when he finally could speak "and that damn Convey will kill me!"

So Clancy agreed that it was time to stop making Convey look good. "Yeah", Conacher said, not concealing his
disgust, "screw Convey."

...
PenaltySome amazing things appear to happen in the realms of recreational hockey - a recreational player with the Ayr Jackals somehow managed to get a 5+Game penalty for fighting with the Zamboni driver!

...
Police RaidOn 19th February 1978 Birmingham Bulls played against the Cincinnati Stingers. The Cincinnati police arrested Bulls scrappy
defenceman Frank 'Seldom' Beaton between the 1st and 2nd period. Beaton was charged with assault for an incident at a gas station. Station attendant Gabriel Fieno, claimed that Beaton broke his cheek bone in a fight when he accidentally spilled gasoline on Beaton's Corvette.

Beaton said Fieno did it on purpose then refused to clean it up. The Stingers coach Jacques Demers, posted the US$2,000 bond himself stating, "We stick together when it comes to things like this."

Six Cincinnati policemen forced their way into the Bulls locker room with their Billy clubs out and ready. Beaton hid in an equipment storage room while the officers demanded identification from the other players. Beaton eventually surrendered and was led away in handcuffs.

...
Power PlayIn 1977 the St Louis Blues were mired in money troubles, the biggest problem being they didn't have much money. On the 17th February, general manager Emile Francis spotted an official of the electric company sneaking around the rink trying to pry open power boxes. Francis asked him why. The Blues hadn't paid their electric bill, he was told. The alternative was paying the bill, or opening the doors and windows and hoping the water would freeze.

Francis promised to pay, the Blues beat the Washington Capitals 4-1, and the club sent out a cheque the next morning. And around St Louis, it is known as the best power play the Blues ever had.

...
Press ConferenceThe founder of the
Edmonton Oilers was Bill 'Red' Hunter, a truly bombastic character whose enthusiasm seemed to keep the WHA going through those early years.
While he was loved by virtually everyone, Bill could be faulted for some of the decisions he made and some of the things he said. And he was.

The media in Edmonton frequently peppered away at him. Finally, when it became apparent that Bill's days were over as the operator of the Oilers, he called a press conference. Everyone showed up. But no one could leave. The doors were bolted shut from the outside and now Bill had a captive audience. The tongue-lashing he gave was a demonstration in ribald rhetoric . Bill got his chance to get even.

...
StreakObviously deciding what the Vancouver Canucks needed was a good streak, three daring young ladies once obliged the Pacific Coliseum crowd by doing just that. They stripped down to their ice skates and bared their souls - plus a few other possessions.

It occurred on 2nd February 1974, during a game with the New York Islanders. During a whistle, the three naked girls dashed out of their seats and onto the ice and skated in front of the team benches where, it is alleged, several players were tempted to risk a penalty for holding. The girls continued to streak right past startled referee Lloyd Gilmour, proceeded back into the stands, through an exit and into a waiting taxi. Lucky driver.

It just so happened the game was being telecast by Canadian television at the time and
colour analyst Babe Pratt was thoughtful enough to show between periods an instant replay of the streaking ladies. Then he showed it again - in slow motion.

...
TacticOne of the wackiest
things ever witnessed in a hockey rink happened during an Italian
league game in 1993-94. Canadian born Tony Iob took a cigarette
lighter and tried to set an opponent on fire during a game! His
actions were caught on tape and he was charged with several
offenses.

...
TradeSpringfield Indians
owner, and future Hockey Hall of Famer, Eddie
Shore was responsible for the infamous Jake Milford
trade when he moved the future fellow Hall of Famer from Springfield
to Buffalo - in exchange for a
pair of used goal nets!

...
TV BroadcastsDuring the 2006 World
Championships you could watch games in Algeria, Tunisia and the
United Arab Emirates - but not in the UK! Not so unusual for British
ice hockey fans but very annoying! Here is a full list of the
countries that did cover the tournament.

Algeria

ART

Sport+

Australia

Eurosport Asia

Austria

ORF

TW 1

Bahrein

ART

Belarus

BTRC

Belgium

BE TV

Benin

Sport+

Burkina Faso

Sport+

Burundi

Sport+

Cameroon

Sport+

Canada

TSN

RDS

various (news)

Central African Republic

Sport+

Congo

Sport+

Czech Republic

Czech TV

NOVA TV (news)

Denmark

TV3

TV3+

DR (news)

TV2 (news)

Djibouti

ART

Sport+

DOM-TOM

Sport+

Egypt

ART

Eritrea

ART

Estonia

TV3

Finland

YLE (finnish)

YLE (swedish)

MTV 3 (news)

France

Sport+

Gabon

Sport+

Gambia

Sport+

Germany

DSF

ARD (news/highlights)

ZDF (news/highlights)

Guinea

Sport+

Hungary

Sport 1

Iceland

RUV

Iran

ART

Iraq

ART

Italy (North)

ORF (news)

TW 1

Ivory Coast

Sport+

Jordan

ART

Kazakhstan

KHABAR TV

Kuwait

ART

Latvia

TV3

LTV (news)

Lebanon

ART

Libya

ART

Lithuania

TV3

Madagascar

Sport+

Mali

Sport+

Mauritania

ART

Monaco

Sport+

Morocco

ART

Sport+

Niger

Sport+

Norway

NRK

SportN

TV2 (news)

Oman

ART

Palestinian Territories

ART

Poland

Polsat

Quatar

ART

Romania

RTVR

TELESPORT

Russia

RTR - SPORT

RTR- ROSSIJA

Saudi Arabia

ART

Senegal

Sport+

Serbia & Montenegro

SPORT KLUB SERBIA

Slovak Republic

STV

Slovenia

RTVSLO

INFO TV (news)

Somalia

ART

Spain

TVE (Teledeporte)

Sudan

ART

Sweden

TV3

VIASAT SPORT

SVT (news)

TV 4 (news)

Switzerland

SRG-DRS (german)

SRG-TSR (french)

SRG-TSI (italian)

Syria

ART

Togo

Sport+

Tschad

Sport+

Tunisia

ART

Sport+

Ukraine

INTER TV

1+1 (news)

United Arab Emirates

ART

Yemen

ART

Worldwide

Deutsche Welle (news)+B7

RTR - PLANETA SPORT (news)

RTR - PLANETA (news)

... Underwater
Hockey
Underwater Hockey, as played at the University of Guelph, is a game played by 2 teams of 6 swimmers wearing snorkelling gear and using a short stick to chase a brass puck along the bottom of a swimming pool. Equipment consists of snorkel, face mask with safety glass, fins, playing stick
(10 to 14 inches long), protective glove on the stick hand and a head-cap with ear protectors. A plastic coated or brass puck is used with two goal troughs at opposite ends of the swimming pool. It is a non-contact sport.

...
UniformPittsburgh Penguin's first NHL coach Red Sullivan was pretty annoyed when the club's management introduced a black, blue and white uniform which vaguely followed the markings of the little bird. "If we play a bad game," Sullivan predicted, "the sports writers will say we looked like a bunch of nuns skating around out there."

To be sure the nickname did not present the swashbuckling image of the baseball Pirates, but it did provide the opportunity for a between-periods gimmick. And so, a real, live penguin, which had been borrowed from a local zoo, was paraded around the ice behind the
Zamboni machine.

The fans seemed at least mildly entertained and a name-the-mascot contest was soon initiated. A week before the final results were to be announced, however, the bird caught pneumonia and died.